THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 19, 1996 TAG: 9601190023
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 41 lines
I called the local offices of our elected officials last week to complain about their inability to do their jobs (i.e., pass a federal budget). After the standard, ``Thank you, I'll make sure the representative/senator is made aware of your concerns'' from the offices of Representative Pickett and Senator Robb, I was pleased when Senator Warner's aide engaged me in a conversation.
I began by saying I thought that holding the federal government hostage while demanding a big tax cut was asinine and insulting at a time when the nation is deeply in debt. He informed me that the tax cut wasn't the issue; it was that the president won't commit to a seven-year balanced budget using Congressional Business Office figures. This is a matter of principle to the Republicans, I was told, and once they got Clinton's commitment they would let the government go back to work. Senator Warner agreed, I was told, that a tax cut wasn't a good idea until after it became clear the deficit-reducing parts of the budget were actually working as predicted.
Well, the president did commit to a balanced budget in seven years using CBO figures. All the government got was a three-week reprieve at partial-funding levels, whereas Congress voted to send itself on a January vacation. Now the Republicans are saying that the tax cut is the principle they are fighting for, and Speaker Gingrich says there may be no budget until November!
So it's politics as usual, only brought back a little meaner and crueler this year. These folks need to be brought back home after next November for remedial education about principle, because they obviously wouldn't recognize one if they tripped over it.
BOB HUME
Norfolk, Jan. 11, 1996 by CNB